President Assad admitted he feels âpain and sorrowâ for the bloodshed in Syria but in an interview with the Sunday Times said the solution lay in eliminating the âmilitantsâ he blames for the unrest.

Earlier it was claimed at least two rocket-propelled grenades had hit a major building belonging to the ruling Baath party in the capital city of Damascus.

Opposition group the Local Coordination Committees activist network said in a statement that the building had been hit by several grenades and fire brigades were attending the scene.

If confirmed, the attack would be the first inside the capital since the uprising in the country began back in March.

The assault came during the same weekend the Arab League rejected amendments proposed by Syria to a peace plan designed to end the crisis.

In his newspaper interview, President Assad said he would not bow to foreign pressure to stop the crackdown on opposition supporters, claiming 800 Syrian officers and members of the security forces had been killed since the uprising began.

The United Nations, however, claims around 3,500 people have died in the unrest which has grown more violent in recent weeks.